The Internet has evolved from a human-based connection network, where humans create and consume information, to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed configurations, such as things, etc., exchange information with each other to process the information. The technology related to the IoT is starting to be combined with, for example, a technology for processing big data through connection with a cloud server, etc., and this is called an Internet of Everything (IoE) technology. In order to manifest the IoT, various technical components are required, such as, a sensing technology, wired/wireless communication and network infra technology, a service interfacing technology, a security technology, etc. In recent years, a sensor network for connecting things, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. have been researched.
Under the IoT environment, intelligent Internet Technology (IT) services may be provided to collect and analyze data obtained from objects connected to each other and thus to create new value for human life. As existing information technologies are fused and combined with various industries, the IoT may also be applied within various fields, such as: smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, health care, smart home appliances, high quality medical services, etc.
Transmission is performed for the purpose of reception by as many objects as possible without designating a specific target is called ‘to advertise.’ In wireless communication, information whose amount is in generally not much and that is frequently advertised is called a beacon.
An apparatus for advertising a beacon is called a beacon apparatus. A beacon service is referred to as a task that is directly or indirectly indicated by an advertised beam and is performed by an apparatus that receiving the advertised beacon.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a beacon service.
A beacon service may be a service that: if an application (App) is installed that enables a user apparatus, such as a user terminal, user equipment (UE), etc. to recognize a beacon advertised by, e.g., a beacon apparatus, and to perform a specific task corresponding to the beacon, the service enables UE to perform the specific task; or a service that: if UE receives a beacon that the UE can recognize in its received first beacon state, the service enables the UE to performs a specific task according to the beacon.
The beacon apparatus is capable of including a service identifier in a beacon and advertising the beacon. For example, the service identifier may include parameters, such as, Unique User ID (UUID), Major, Minor, etc. UUID may be a unique identifier of a service that a beacon apparatus needs to provide. Major and Minor may be detailed identifiers of a corresponding service. That is, this scheme is a method that enables a beacon apparatus to provide UE with identification information. In this case, the identification information may be a service identifier. UE transmits identification information to a server containing information regarding a beacon, and receives information related to the identification information, so that the user can use the information as the need arises.
For example, when a user apparatus approaches a corner of specific goods in a shopping mall, if there is a beacon service to provide an online coupon to the user apparatus, UUID, Major, and Minor identifier included in a beacon advertised by a beacon apparatus may be ‘a service for providing a shopping mall on-line couple’, ‘Gangnam branch’, and ‘1st floor’ respectively.
However, in the case of the beacon service described above, one or more UUIDs, which can be recognized in a state where user apparatus capable of a beacon service, such as UE, is first obtained, may be just default items provided by user apparatus manufacturers. That is, if a user needs to use, via a user apparatus, services provided by beacon apparatuses having different UUIDs provided by various 3rd-parties, Apps corresponding to UUIDs of beacon apparatuses must be installed respectively. Otherwise, the user apparatus cannot use a corresponding beacon service.
That is, an available beacon service is restricted to a beacon of UUID that can be recognized by a user apparatus. Although 100 beacon apparatuses having UUIDs that differ from each other near a user apparatus advertise beacons respectively, if the user apparatus is capable of recognizing only three UUIDs by default or via an App installed thereto, the user can use only three of the 100 beacon services via the corresponding user apparatus.
With reference to FIG. 1, the user apparatus 110 is capable of receiving beacons 113 and 115 from two beacon apparatuses, respectively. A first beacon 113 may have identifiers, such as UUID 1, Major 1, and Minor 1. A second beacon 115 may have identifiers, such as UUID 2, Major 2, and Minor 2. In this case, the user apparatus 110 may has an App capable of recognizing UUID1 of the first beacon 113, but may not have an App capable of recognizing UUID2 of the second beacon 115.
The user apparatus 110 may transmit, to the server 120, its recognized identification information (e.g., UUID 1, Major 1, and Minor 1) of the first beacon 113, and its identifier (e.g., UE ID, etc.). The server 120 may instruct a smart electric bulb server 130 corresponding to UUID1 to operate an electric bulb 135 corresponding to Major 1 and Minor 1. However, since the second beacon 115 cannot be recognized by the user apparatus 110, the server 120 does not instruct the operation of a smart Large Format Display (LFD) 145 corresponding to UUID of the second beacon 115.
As described above, if a user apparatus needs to use services provided by beacon apparatuses, it may have installed Apps corresponding to UUIDs of the beacon apparatuses or may be in a state where it is recognized by the beacon apparatuses. Otherwise, the user apparatus cannot use a corresponding beacon service.
In beacon services, the greater the number of beacon apparatuses that a user apparatus can use is near the user apparatus, the more frequently the user apparatus uses operation resources and connects to the Internet in order to perform a task to meet its received beacon. This lead to proportionally increase the current consumption in the user apparatus.
If UE receives a service identifier transmitted by a beacon apparatus, it may detect its current location via the communication with a server linking a service identifier to a place. UE provides information which can be used at the location, using its location information, or executes a location-related application, thereby providing the user with a service. In this case, the intention of a service provider who installed a beacon may be reflected larger than a user's intention. For example, if a user visits a store, UE receiving a service identifier of a beacon may receive a service introducing recent expensive goods according to the intention of the store owner. However, if the user visited the store with a purpose not to buy goods but to find his/her lost purse/wallet, the intention of the store owner does not fit with the user's intention, and thus the store owner may provide the user with an incorrect service.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a short-range user information providing system.
With reference to FIG. 2, in a short-range user information system, a client 210 detects nearby user apparatuses 220 and 225 in a short-range and is returned public information regarding the detected user apparatus 220.
In this case, if the client 210 detecting the short-range user apparatus 220 requests a corresponding user's public information from an information providing server 230, the information providing server 230 may provide, if it has published information regarding the corresponding user apparatus 220, the information to the client 210. In this case, in order to provide a customized service to the detected user apparatus 220, the client 210 receiving the published information needs to include an operation ability to determine a service suitable for the detected user 220 based on public information received from the information providing server 230.
Therefore, in order to provide a customized service, the client 210 needs a storage device, a controller with a relatively high performance of operation ability, such as an operational unit, etc. This causes the client 210 to consume additional energy, and also increases the unit cost of the client 210. It may not be efficient for a short-range user information system to apply an Internet of Thing (IoT) environment that enables various types of things to provide a highly favorable service to a target.
For example, although a Large Format Display (LFD), as one of things, provides customized advertisements based on a user's inclination and tendency, it needs a great effort to be developed to provide customized advertisement to a specific user, as a typical example of a detected user apparatus.
That is, after detecting a user apparatus 220, LFD 210 may request published information regarding the detected user apparatus 220 from the information providing server 230. In this case, although the LFD 210 obtains published information regarding the detected user apparatus 220 that needs to receive customized advertisement, if the published information does not include information indicating an advertisement to be displayed, the LFD 210 needs to: analyze its received published information regarding the corresponding user: and directly select an advertisement which can be likely to attract a user's goodwill among the advertisements the LFD 210 can display. To this end, each LFD 210 needs to further include an operational unit and a memory device, and requires much time and energy for a task to operate the added components and analyze the published information.